Harmony House Inn

The Harmony House Inn is an 8,000 square foot, two-story home located in the heart of the historic district of New Bern, North Carolina. Four blocks from the historic Tryon Palace and one block from the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center. This totally restored historic property has been a successful Bed and Breakfast since 1985. The inn offers a beautifully appointed living room for guests to gather. The Living Room has plenty of space for relaxing and reading a book or enjoying stimulating conversation with other guests while beautiful music is playing in the background. Our Breakfast Room, located next to the Living Room, is decorated in a Colonial style and features a set of plates over the buffet which were originally part of the Ellis family's dining set. We like to describe our innkeeping style as one of comfort, warmth, and informality. While we try to make sure that each guest is comfortable at the inn, we also try to be as unobtrusive as possible for our guests who wish to have quiet time alone.

All guest rooms have the same first-class amenities: Remote Controlled Color TV with cable, private telephones, two comfortable sitting chairs and a dresser and closet. All rooms have ceiling fans with lights. All bathrooms are located in the room or suite. Free Wireless Internet Access from all guest rooms!

Harmony House is furnished with family photos, locally handcrafted furniture, and antiques, including an 1875 pump organ. The soft pastel colors of the walls set off the canopy beds and colorful comforters. Sooki's needlepoint flowers and "HH"-crocheted coasters give the house a personal touch. This unusually spacious house has seven guest rooms and three suites. All of these lovely appointed spacious rooms are filled with antiques, some reproductions done by local craft persons and historic memorabilia. Each room, decorated by Sooki Kirkpatrick, exudes warmth, charm and individual character. All rooms are furnished with full modern private baths, ceiling fans, central A/C, king, queen (some with canopies) and twin beds, cable television, telephones and decorative fireplaces.

Enjoy rest and relaxation on the grand porch with rocking chairs and swings overlooking the picturesque tree lined street. In the parlor every evening you are cordially invited to join Ed and Sooki for a complimentary social hour where wine, cheese, and soft drinks are offered along with the friendly conversation, warmth and hospitality that keeps you wanting to come back time and time again.

In the morning you awaken to tantalizing aromas from the kitchen. Breakfast is a time for socializing in the dining room, where the Kirkpatricks lay out a different hot dish on the Empire sideboard each day: baked stuffed French toast; apple, bacon and cheddar quiche; or cheese strata, plus fruit, homemade granola, and homemade coffee cake. There's also juice, fresh ground coffee and an assortment of teas.

The Harmony House Inn is conveniently located within walking distance to quaint shops, fine dining restaurants, many historic sites, highlighted by Tryon Palace and its formal gardens.

The Kirkpatricks have brochures on local attractions and restaurants; many are within walking distance. Ed has also mapped out suggested bike routes for visitors. The inn has long been a favorite overnight stop for bike tours from all over the country.

A Gift Certificate from the Harmony House Inn makes a perfect gift. We personalize each certificate with the names of the gift givers and recipients. The certificate may then be used up to a year from the date of purchase. Please call for more information.

General Attractions

Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens
610 Pollock St.
New Bern, NC 28562
(252) 514-4900
(800) 767-1560
 
Tryon Palace, built in 1770 by Royal Governor William Tryon, was known at the time as one of the most beautiful buildings in America. After its use as both a Colonial and a state capitol, the palace fell into disrepair. The main building burned in 1798 and the kitchen office was dismantled in the early nineteenth century. When reconstruction was undertaken in the 1950s, only the stables remained standing. The palace now houses an outstanding collection of antiques and art, and the grounds are devoted to extensive landscaping, ranging from English formal gardens and a kitchen garden to wilderness garden areas.

Attmore-Oliver Civil War House Museum
511 Broad St.
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 638-8558
 
The Attmore-Oliver Civil War House Museum was originally built in 1790 by prominent New Bern resident, Samuel Chapman. It was enlarged to its present size in 1834. Of particular interest are the fine Greek Revival portico and two-story porches at the rear of the house. Today, the museum houses offices for the New Bern Historical Society. The Society plans soon to offer self-guided tours through the museum spaces of the first and second floors although staff suggests an e-mail or a call to confirm availability of tours just now.
 
Cedar Grove Cemetery
Queen and George Sts.
New Bern, NC 28560
 
Anyone who loves to wander through old graveyards won't want to miss this one. Statuary and monuments beneath Spanish moss draped trees mark burial traditions from the earliest days of our nation. One smallish obelisk lists the names of nine children in one family who all died within a two-year time span. The city's monument to its Confederate dead and the graves of 70 soldiers are also here. The cemetery's main gate features a shell motif, with an accompanying legend that says if water drips on you as you enter, you will be the next to arrive by hearse.

Centenary United Methodist Church
309 New St.
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 637-4181
 
First organized as a congregation in 1772, the current Centenary United Methodist Church was designed by Herbert Woodley Simpson and completed in 1905. Its rounded walls and turrets have an almost Moorish look. Guided tours, available weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM, begin with a stop by the church office.
 
Christ Episcopal Church
320 Pollock St.
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 633-2109
 
More than 260 years old, Christ Episcopal is the oldest church in New Bern and one of the oldest in North Carolina. This church building is actually the third to stand in this area. The first, completed in 1750, was later destroyed by fire. The foundation of that first church is on the current church grounds. The second church was completed in 1824 and destroyed by fire in 1871. The church seen today, completed in 1875, is a Gothic Revival building incorporating surviving walls of that second church.

Craven Arts Council & Gallery Bank of the Arts
317 Middle St.
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 638-2577
 
Changing exhibits often, the gallery at Bank of the Arts showcases local and southeastern artists in every visual and tactile medium. Admission is free, though donations are welcome, so locals visit often. Visitors are welcome to browse. Built in 1911, this interesting granite structure once served as a bank. Now it serves as headquarters for the Craven Arts Council and Gallery. The classical facade of the building features Ionic columns leading into the open, two-story gallery. Many concerts, lectures and receptions are offered here throughout the year. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM, the building is handicapped.
 
The Firemen's Museum
408 Hancock St.
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 636-4087
 
The New Bern Fire Department is one of the oldest in the country, still operating under its original 1845 charter as the Atlantic Hook and Ladder Company. The New Museum next door houses steam pumpers and an extensive collection of other early fire-fighting equipment, most of which has been in service in New Bern. Also on exhibit are rare photographs, Civil War relics and even the mounted head of Fred, the faithful old fire horse. Fred, according to legend, died with his boots on, answering what turned out to be a false alarm.

First Presbyterian Church
400 New St.
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 637-3270

The oldest continually used church building in New Bern, First Presbyterian was built during the years from 1819 through 1822, by local architect and builder Uriah Sandy. The congregation was established in 1817. The Federal-style church is similar to many built around the same time in New England but is unusual in North Carolina. Like that of Christ Church, the steeple on First Presbyterian is a point of reference on the skyline. The church was used as a Union hospital and lookout post during the Civil War. Visitors can see, carved on the belfry walls, the initials of soldiers on duty.
 
George W. Dixon House
609 Pollock St.
New Bern, NC
(252) 514-4900
(800) 767-1560
 
The Dixon House, built in 1828, epitomizes New Bern's lifestyle in the first half of the nineteenth century, when the town was a prosperous port and one of the state's largest cities. Built for a successful New Bern merchant, Dixon House is a fine example of neoclassical architecture. Its furnishings, reflecting the Federal period, reveal the changing tastes of early America. The house was converted into a regimental hospital when Union troops occupied New Bern during the Civil War. Admission tickets may be purchased at the North Carolina History Center.

John Wright Stanly House
307 George St.
New Bern, NC

On his Southern tour in 1791, President George Washington dined and danced at Tryon Palace, but his two nights in New Bern were spent at the nearby home of John Wright Stanly. Stanly died of yellow fever in 1789, but New Bern residents reopened and refurnished the residence, then located on Middle Street, just for Washington's visit. Washington described his overnight accommodation as "exceeding good lodgings." During the Revolutionary War, Stanly's merchant ships plied the waters as privateers, capturing British ships to aid the American cause.
 
Lawsons Landing Cafe
529 South Front Street
New Bern, NC
(252) 637-9307
 
This waterfront cafe is part of the North Carolina History Center addition to the Tryon Palace Complex. Named from New Bern history, Lawsons Landing, a Riverwalk Cafe brings visitors to the center into the experience with coffee, lattes, teas and light fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner by the river seven days a week. Pastries, fruit cups, sandwiches in assorted breads, soups, salads, snacks, appetizers and desserts are served Sunday through Thursday from 9 AM until 5 PM, Fridays from 9 AM until 6 PM and Saturdays from 9 AM until 9 PM.

New Bern Academy Museum
New and Hancocks Sts.
New Bern, NC
(252) 514-4900
(800) 767-1560
 
Founded in 1764 and built in 1809, New Bern Academy is the oldest public school building in North Carolina and one of the oldest in America. It was still used as a school recently enough to have been attended by some of New Bern's current residents. After it closed, it sat vacant for several years before being renovated in the 1980s through grants, donations and a dedicated group of volunteers. Today, the museum houses exhibits illustrating the history of New Bern and eastern North Carolina, including exhibits on architecture, education and the Civil War.
 
New Bern Civil War Battlefield Park
New Bern Historical Society
512 Pollock St.
New Bern, NC 28562
(252) 638-8558

Visitors to the Civil War Battlefield Park can literally walk in the footsteps of young Confederate and Union soldiers who fought in the mist and rain five miles east of New Bern on what is now US 70 East. Park grounds where nearly one third of the Battle of New Bern took place are in near pristine condition. That battle, lost to Union forces March 4, 1862, saved the city for history, her rich heritage of grand homes and buildings undamaged by war. The New Bern Historical Society received the core acres of the battlefield from the Civil War Preservation Trust.

New Bern National Cemetery
1711 National Ave.
New Bern, NC 28560

Encompassing nearly eight acres, New Bern National Cemetery was established in 1867 as a final resting place for veterans. Current cemetery grounds were the site of military drills by occupying forces during the Civil War. Once inside the gates, visitors see row after impressive row of matching government standard-issue white marble gravestones, precisely lined. Also on the grounds are Civil War monuments dedicated during the early twentieth century to the fallen of companies of New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The cemetery is the site of a Memorial Day service every year.
 
Robert Hay House
Eden St.
New Bern, NC

A tour of the Robert Hay House provides insight into the lives and society of middle-class craftsmen and artisans essential to everyday life in the early nineteenth century. Scottish-born Robert Hay was a skilled craftsman of carriages and riding chairs. He purchased the house in 1816, living there until his death in 1850. The original structure, purchased for $1,000, was a single heated room on each of the two floors, with a cellar kitchen including a large cooking fireplace. Hay enlarged the house between 1820 and 1830 with a rear addition consisting of a double porch and two small heated rooms.

Tours

New Bern Walking Tours

Many of New Bern's historic homes are private residences, therefore not open to the public. However, a leisurely stroll along riverwalks through the historic district allow observation of the landscapes, architecture and gardens of these vintage homes. Walking also gives a real sense of the many Old World customs that characterize this Colonial town.

The New Bern-Craven County Convention & Visitors Bureau, located in the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center at the corner of East and South Front streets, has several self-guided walking tour maps covering different aspects of New Bern's long and interesting historical heritage, including the Civil.

African-American Walking Tours

The Tryon Palace experience offers a monthly African-American walking tour in spring, summer and fall. The 90-minute walk covers 16 blocks and features 300 years of African-American history. The tour requires a reservation and a fee. For information, call (252) 514-4900 or (800) 767-1560, or visit the North Carolina History Center on Pollock Street.

In addition, The Craven County Tourism Development Authority offers a free series of self-guided walking tours, one of which covers New Bern's African-American history. The tour sheet, available at the Craven County Convention and Visitors Center at the corner of East and South Front Streets.
 
Carolina Carriage Tours
Corner of Middle and Pollock Str
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 675-5360

This business offers romantic drives on beautiful days or moonlit evenings in the beautiful historic district and along the Neuse in New Bern. Equally, children love the elegance of pretending to be Cinderella or a Dickens character clamoring to be up on the box with the driver. A story teller can weave something magic for a holiday or historic tour; all it takes is an arrangement with Carolina Carriage Tours and a token costume or Sunday best, a bit of imagination and any group at all.

New Bern Trolley Tours
333 Middle St.
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 637-7316
(800) 849-7316
 
Touring the town by trolley is a comfortable and interesting alternative to a walking tour. Ninety-minute tours narrated by professional guides depart from the corner of Pollock and George Streets, across from Tryon Palace gates. Tickets may be purchased on the trolley car every day or at the trolley office at 333 Middle Street weekdays. During the months of January and February, tours run at 2 PM Saturday and Sunday only. In March, tours run Thursday through Monday at 2 PM only. April through October, tours are scheduled for Monday through Saturday at 11 AM and 2 PM and Sunday
 
Tradewind Aviation Scenic Rides
820 Aviation Dr.
New Bern, NC 28562
(252) 636-0716

For a unique overview to introduce New Bern or as a farewell to the city, Tradewind Aviation provides a reasonably priced, exciting tour option. Based at Craven Regional Airport, Tradewind arranges 30-minute and one-hour tours for one to three passengers aboard a Cessna 172. All it takes is a phone call requesting the Scenic Ride.
 
State and National Parks

Croatan National Forest
Ranger's Office, 141 E. Fisher Ave.
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 638-5628
 
Located between New Bern and Emerald Isle,Croatan National Forest is made up of 161,000 acres and features coastal and inland swamp habitats. The Croatan Forest is home to the largest collection of carnivorous plants in any National Forest and it is near the northern range limit of the American alligator. It also has an amazing collection of bugs. Much of the forest is characterized as swampy with thick underbrush. It is perhaps not a forest suited for everyone, but it is very attractive to area fishermen and hunters and is popular for its hiking trails, boat launches, campgrounds and day-use areas.

Directions to the Harmony House Inn: North of the Inn
Merge onto I-95 S
Take exit 84A on the left to merge onto I-295 S toward Rocky Mt NC/Richmond International
Merge onto I-95 S (Entering North Carolina)
Take exit 119A-119B for US-264 toward US-117 S/Raleigh/Wilson
Keep left at the fork to continue toward US-117 S/US-264 E
Take exit 119A to merge onto US-117 S/US-264 E toward I-795 S/Greenville/Wilson
Continue onto I-795 S
Take exit 87A to merge onto US-70 E toward Kinston
Slight right to merge onto US-117 Alt N/US-13 N/US-70 E toward US-70 Bypass E/US-117 Bypass N/Kinston/Wilson
Continue to follow US-70 E
Slight right at US-70 E/W New Bern Rd
Continue to follow US-70 E
Slight right at US-17 N
Take the exit toward New Bern
Merge onto U.S. 70 Bus
Turn left at Pollock St
Destination will be on the left

Directions to the Harmony House Inn: South of the Inn
Take the exit on the left onto I-95 N toward Jacksonville
Take the exit onto I-95 N toward International Airport/Savannah
Passing through Georgia, South Carolina
Entering North Carolina
Take exit 58 for US-13 N toward Interstate 295 Future/US-401/Newton Grove
Turn right at US-13 N/Goldsboro Rd
Continue to follow US-13 N
At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on US-13 N
Turn left at US-117 N/US-13 N
Slight right at US-117 Alt N/US-13 N
Continue to follow US-13 N
Continue onto N Carolina 111 S/US-70 E
Continue to follow US-70 E
Slight right at US-70 E/W New Bern Rd
Continue to follow US-70 E
Slight right at US-17 N
Take the exit toward New Bern
Merge onto U.S. 70 Bus
Turn left at Pollock St
Destination will be on the left

Directions to the Harmony House Inn: West of the Inn
Merge onto I-64 E/I-77 S via the ramp to Bluefield
Continue to follow I-77 S
Partial toll road
Passing through Virginia
Entering North Carolina
Slight left at I-74 E (signs for Mt Airy/Winston - Salem)
Continue onto S Andy Griffith Pkwy
Continue onto US-52 S
Take exit 109A for I-40 BUS E/US-158 E/US-421 S/N Carolina 150 E toward Kernersville
Merge onto N Carolina 150 E/US-158 E/US-421 S
Continue to follow US-421 S
Merge onto I-40 E
Take exit 309 to merge onto US-70 E toward Smithfield/Goldsboro
Continue onto US-70 Bypass E
Continue onto US-70 E
Slight right to merge onto US-117 Alt N/US-13 N/US-70 E toward US-70 Bypass E/US-117 Bypass N/Kinston/Wilson
Continue to follow US-70 E
Slight right at US-70 E/W New Bern Rd
Continue to follow US-70 E
Slight right at US-17 N
Take the exit toward New Bern
Merge onto U.S. 70 Bus
Turn left at Pollock St
Destination will be on the left

Directions to the Harmony House Inn: From Coastal Carolina Regional Airport
Head west on Terminal Dr toward Airline Dr
Take the 1st left onto Airline Dr
Take the 1st right onto Williams Rd
Take the 3rd left onto US-70 W
Take exit 417A toward New Bern
Merge onto U.S. 70 Bus
Turn left at Pollock St
Destination will be on the left